I watched the Palin speech. I kept wondering when she was actually going to say something. This morning I found out why I didn’t hear anything when I visited Chicago Carless. I never heard what she was really saying. Mike did. Sarah Palin’s Inner Acceptace Speech is his translation of Palin’s speech into what her inner voice was really saying. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Palin: â€œI grew up with those people.â€
Inner Voice: â€œI want to get out of Alaska for a reason.â€

Palin: â€œI got rid of a few things I didnâ€™t think our citizens should have to pay for.â€
Inner Voice: â€œCondoms and family planning brochures.â€

Palin: â€œJohn McCain, the kind of name you find on war memorials.â€
Inner Voice: â€œAnd probably a headstone before 2012.â€

Palin: â€œFor a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds.â€
Inner Voice: â€œIf he dies in office, does that make me Queen?”

I was disgusted with most of this speech because of the way she personally attacked Obama and trivialized his career after he was very civil about her daughter’s pregnancy. Ogre at Street Prophets said what I was thinking:

No shame. Â Obama came out and defended her and her daughter–directly attacked those who were jumping up and down on Bristol’s being pregnant and went so far as to bring out his own mother’s pregnancy at 18 to cover for her (giving her cover behind his own mother). Â Sarah Palin’s reaction? Â Vicious personal attacks on Obama, belittling his service, distorting his record. Â The woman has no class–the stories of her ruthless climb to the governor’s office in AK sound plausible now.

Lie after distortion. Â Grotesque.

But not that badly delivered. Â However… I think she made two serious errors. Â The first was failing to “take control” at the very beginning. Â “Ready to lead?” Â Well… she let the crowd lead there–she’d have stepped on the applause for her (but applause that was utterly content-free, just rah-rah…) but would have shown a degree of I’m in control and I have things to say that she ended up giving away–it ended up feeling like “You really, really like me!” Â The second error was in the lengthy introduction of her family. Â Just noting that they’re here, naming them, affirming them… would have been enough. Â (And they hauled Levi in to be there with Bristol, but didn’t acknowledge him… even though he was on camera over and over. Â Odd, that.)

Net effect: She threw away any claim to “don’t pick on me, I’m a girl!” that the campaign’s been waving around. Â Having come out as a pitbull with lipstick (her image, and self-claimed…), AND having unleashed all kinds of attacks on Obama and Biden and sneered at Michelle Obama… she’s fair game, politically.

I absolutely agree. And the pundits better go after her the same way they did Hillary. As Russell likes to say over at The Street: Liberal Media my a$$. I’ve also been saying all week that if it was Obama or Biden’s 17 year old daughter that wound up pregnant, the Republicans would be tearing them apart. “Loose morals!” “No family values!” The GOP sure wouldn’t show them the same courtesy the Democrats have shown Palin. They proved last night my hypthesis was right.

The least McCain could have done was pick a woman who had years of experience and is qualified to take over as president if he keels over six months into the job. Senator Kay Bailey Huthison is one of many Republican women that comes to mind. Hopefully, this time, cow-towing to The Relgious Reich, uh, I mean Right, will cost them this election. Speeking of The Religous Right, I love James Dobson’s “flip flop.” That’s right the man who wasn’t going to vote if McCain was the Republican nominee has now endorsed him: Dr. Dobson: “If I went into the polling both today, I’d pull the lever for John McCain.” Once again affirming that he’s a Republican first and a Christian second. I can’t wait to count how many times Daddy Dobson accuses Obama of “flip-flopping” from now until the election. He’s looked like a fish out of water gasping for his last breath over McCain, so it should be fun to watch.

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2 Responses to “Chicago Carless Nailed the Palin Speech”

I do not understand how James Dobson who thinks that women are to be wives and mothers can endorse a young mother like Sarah Palin. I thought the religious right like their women out of leadership roles.

It ludicrous. Dobson has been on the forefront of “all the evils in society stem from mothers working” thing every since I can remember. Women working has caused violence, abortion, the economy going downhill, your dog going blind, and who knows what all else. So yeah, hypocrisy is all I can come up with too.

About this site

Rev. Shawna R. B. Atteberry is an author, preacher, theologian, and speaker who writes, dreams, and talks about women in the Bible and feminist theology. In her spare time she writes urban fantasy. Her first book What You Didn't Learn in Sunday School: Women Who Didn't Shut Up & Sit Down is available for purchase from Amazon or Wipf & Stock Publishers.